Cecil A. Lindberg

Cecil A. Lindberg
Cecil A. Lindberg 89 of Kirksville passed away Wednesday (March 25, 2009) at his daughter’s home.
Cecil was born in Linn County, MO on July 2, 1919, the first son of Hjalmer A. and Inez (Thiele) Lindberg. He grew up and attended the rural schools in the Bucklin, MO area. In 1942, at the age of 22 years, he joined the US Army-Air force and took his basic training at Jefferson Barracks in Missouri. He was then sent to Sioux Falls South Dakota to Radio/Telegraph school and then to Boca Raton, Florida for radar school. He then went on to Tyndall Field Florida for Gunnery School where he was promoted to Staff Sergeant. He was then sent to Dodge City, Kansas to train in a B-25 Mitchell Bomber. He then left the US and was stationed on Attu Island, part of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. There he flew 35 missions to North Japan and finally returned to the States after 14 months. He was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas for the rest of his enlistment. He served 3 years, 3 months and 3 days when he got out in 1945. He was very proud of his service to his country.
In February 1946, he married the love of his life, Clariece Colton. They spent two years touring the west, working where they found employment, mostly in the orchards and vineyards. They returned to Missouri to purchase a 140 acre farm near Gifford. He started to school under the G1 Bill and received a HS Diploma and a Mechanics Certificate from the vocational school. He farmed until 1961 when he sold the farm and moved to Kirksville where he started selling cars and owned a rooming house for college boys for 10 years. He sold cars for over 35 years, retiring at age 70. He had a lifelong love for automobiles, and owned several classic and antique cars for years.
Cecil was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Clariece in July 2007, his parents, and three sisters, Esther Francisco, Alice Belfield and Ruby Brown.
He is survived by two children, Evonne Baker and husband Larry of Kirksville, Richard Burns and his wife Sharron of LaPlata; two grandchildren, Larry Baker, Jr. and wife Pamela of Kirksville, and Amy Burns of Columbia; two great grandsons, Brett and Jesse Baker of Kirksville; five brothers & sisters, Eva Switzer of Brookfield, Pearl Miller of Bucklin, Virgil Lindberg of LaPlata, Evelyn Falls of LaPlata, and H.A. and wife Josephine Lindberg of Albia, IA along with several nieces nephews and cousins.
Cecil was a member of the First Church of the Nazarene in Kirksville for over 48 years and served in several positions in that church during that time. He was also a long time member of the Northeast Missouri Antique Car Club. He & Clariece traveled extensively, taking several trips to the West, to Nashville, Branson and to the Wisconsin Dells several times. They were regulars at the Wilcox County Opery in Macon for 13 years. They also traveled to the Worlds Fair and Niagara Falls in 1976. He was a very loving and generous father, grandfather and husband. He will be greatly missed by all his family and his friends.
Funeral service will be held at 3:00 p.m. Saturday (March 28, 2009) at Davis-Playle-Hudson-Rimer Funeral Home with Pastor Mark Hager officiating. Musical selections will be “Amazing Grace” and “I Will Rise” by Audra Jackson and “Beautiful” by Pamela Baker. Entombment will be in the LaPlata Mausoleum.
Pallbearers will be Brett Baker, Jesse Baker, Jack Falls, Brian Lindberg, Gary Belfield and Bernie Belfield. Honorary bearers will be his nephews and members on the Antique Car Club.
Visitation with the family will be from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Saturday (March 28, 2009) at the
Davis-Playle-Hudson-Rimer Funeral Home
2100 E. Shepherd Ave.
Kirksville, MO 63501 660-665-2233
Memorials to the First Church of the Nazarene or Hospice on Northeast Missouri and can be sent to the funeral home.